Basketball Recruiting: Top High School Junior Visits G League Ignite

High school basketball phenom A.J. Dybantsa visited the G League Ignite Friday, with colleges coming up.

A.J. Dybantsa, one of the most-coveted high school basketball prospects in the country, visited the G League Ignite on Friday, per Andscape’s Marc Spears.

Prolific Prep forward A.J. Dybantsa was at the G League Ignite game in Las Vegas on Friday and is considering joining the Ignite next season, sources told @andscape. Dybantsa is ranked as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2025 by ESPN.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) January 7, 2024

A 6-foot-8 forward, Dybantsa is inarguably one of the best high school basketball players in the nation, and could follow in the footsteps of several former high school prodigies in joining the Ignite. He ranked No. 1 in his class across all major recruiting sites.

The Ignite-to-NBA list grows each year, with players like Jalen Green, Scoot Henderson, Jonathan Kuminga and Dyson Daniels all being selected in the top 10 in their respective drafts. With several others earning first or second round berths.

Currently, the Ignite have as many as four projected first round picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, headlined by essential top-ten locks in Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis.

Should Dybantsa choose the G League, he’ll have the unique opportunity of working towards being an NBA Draft selectee without school. He reclassified from the 2026 class to 2025, meaning he’ll be eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft, should he choose. Spears' follow-up tweet noted that no official contract has been offered on the Ignite's behalf yet.

And with his myriad of skills — including innate athleticism, a workable handle and potential three-level scoring — he’ll undoubtedly be in the mix for the No. 1 spot.

Still, that won’t stop colleges from trying their best to land the coveted five-star’s talents. He has newly-inked offers from Kentucky, Alabama, Baylor, UConn, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Providence, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas and Washington, with upcoming visits to Auburn and USC.

Regardless of where he lands, Dybantsa path to the NBA Draft will be a fun one to monitor over the next few years.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.